


Lightning in a Bottle

by SomeCereals



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Gen, I love the Diasomnia found family dynamic, Sebek would make for a great Ace Attorney or a shounen protagonist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:53:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28084230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeCereals/pseuds/SomeCereals
Summary: They say that true love's kiss conquers all.… Clearly, those people don’t understand the power of shounen anime protagonist shouting.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 37





	Lightning in a Bottle

**Author's Note:**

> DIASOMNIA FOUND FAMILY DIASOMNIA FOUND FAMILY DIASOMNIA FOUND FAMILY--

_This cannot be._

Lightning lit up the storm, illuminating the figure of a hulking beast. Its serpentine body coiled and constricted in ghastly ways, scales slick with rain and spikes protruding from its back. Large, thick droplets of ink bled and dribbled down, painting skin and sinew a jet black.

A roar shook the skies, hellish flames licking the monster’s maw. Magical bright green flanges against the dark night.

_This absolutely **cannot** be..._

Sebek staggered back, collapsing into a puddle. Mud and water splashed up, soiling his once impeccable uniform--and though chilling rain raced down his skin and soaked his clothes, it was sheer horror, not the cold, that caused him to violently shake all over.

There, embedded in the dragon’s pulsating underbelly by threads of ink, was a young man. Dark lace sprawled out, weaving complex patterns on his pale skin. His eyes, shut.

_Dreaming._

Once proud, once regal--now only a shell of his former self. A _monster._

“M-Malleus-sama...?!”

* * *

The beast’s massive eyes flickered to him— _him,_ the pathetic knight, caked in mud and drenched to the bone... and cowering. Its pupils dilated as it gave another shrill shriek. Sebek winced, throwing his hands over his ears—leaving his vitals exposed to the claw that came flying at him.

_CLANG!_

Curved walls sprang up, encasing Sebek in a ruby plated sphere. The claw bounced back harmlessly--but one hit was all the shield could withstand. The sphere shattered, dissipating into sparkles amid the storm.

Sebek was yanked to feet, his arm slung round his hero’s shoulder to lend him support.

“I’ve got you,” Silver reassured his companion. As usual, he was quiet and controlled--but his iridescent eyes seethed with entirely new emotions, hurt and guilt bleeding into pinks, purples, and blues.

"M-Malleus-sama!! MALLEUS-SAMA!! Don’t you... Don’t you recognize me?!” Sebek flailed against his savior, nearly throwing his vocal cords out. “How--”

_How could you try to strike me, your loyal vassal, down?_

The beast seemed to entirely disregard his protests. With a grunt, it inhaled deeply, summoning a rumble from deep within.

“ _Fall back_!” a familiar voice called. “He’s--”

The dragon--no, _Malleus_ \--expelled plumes of fire from his nostrils and from between his jagged teeth. Their surroundings erupted in a sea of emerald flames, all smoke and suffocating heat. The Great Seven leered down at them, their stone faces cast in an almost ghoulish inferno.

Silver flinched, but he did not waver in his stance.

Frantic footsteps pierced the rain. A small figure launched through the fire, landing safely beside the knights. Toting magenta bangs and his magical pen, he conjured whorls of enchanted water--water which whipped around them and fell upon the flames, extinguishing them.

“A-Are you boys alright?!” Lilia asked--but his gaze wasn’t trained solely on Silver and Sebek. No, he stared at the lumbering beast--at _Malleus_ \--too.

“We’re fine,” Silver insisted, his grip on Sebek tightening. “... Well, as fine as we _can_ be.”

“I-I don’t understand, Lilia-sama! What in the _world_ is... What is happening?!”

“Overblot,” he replied simply, his tone grim. “He has lost himself, Sebek—he has gone mad.”

“No, no, no, no...!! I do not believe it...!! I _cannot_ believe it! There’s no way... Malleus-sama is not so weak as to succumb to--” Sebek was cut off by a surge of wind, knocking him and Silver over.

The dragon had spread its wings, each beat sending a wave of raw power slamming into the earth. He screeched, and the world seemed to tremble beneath him.

Lilia stood firm and crossed his arms, glancing coolly at the beast. “... I didn’t raise you to be like this, Malleus. You are a bit too old to be getting into brawls with your brothers.”

Malleus raised a claw--Lilia moved to counter with a spell, but was a second too slow. His pen was perfectly poised, in position--yet he hesitated when he stared into the dragon’s large, reptilian eyes, at the young man buried in the heart of the monster.

Malleus swiped hard, sending Lilia crashing straight into the statue of the Witch of Thorns. His small body fell limp at its base, something red and viscous dribbling down from his forehead and mixing with rainwater.

“Lilia-sama!!”

“Father...!!”

Both knights scrambled toward the fallen fae. Lilia groaned, clamping onto their shoulders as he staggered back up.

Sebek set his jaw as he regarded Lilia’s wounds. He looked a mess, all battered and bruised and bleeding. The Young Master would never even dare consider inflicting such misery upon an ally--

It suddenly clicked in his mind.

Malleus was gone, replaced by an abomination in his likeness.

**“SKREEEEEEEEE!!”**

Another blow of wind hit them as the dragon began to ascend to the skies. Lilia skidded back, caught only by Sebek and Silver’s arms--and the Witch of Thorns. He grimaced into the storm, eyes tracing the length of Malleus’s scaled body. The monster cut through the rain, right toward the highest room of the tallest tower on campus.

“Oh no.” Lilia paled.

“He’s...!! He’s headed for a vantage point!” Silver startled immediately. “If he makes it—“

“All of Night Raven College will be burned to the ground.” No longer was Sebek’s voice boisterous—it was a mere rasp miniscule and weak.

Lilia balled his hands. His back was still to the boys—his expression hidden and unreadable—but he radiated strength, conviction. Lilia’s eyes—red jewels dipped in sorrow—cut to his juniors over his shoulder. A crown of crimson decorated his face.

“... Sebek. Silver.”

“Yes, Lilia-sama?” Sebek sounded strained, hesitant. He replied only out of obligation, not out of a desire to hear what is to come.

“... Yes, father?” It was the first time in forever that Silver has addressed his guardian with such clear, alert eyes.

“Consider this an order... perhaps my last, so listen well.” He swallowed hard. “ _Go._ Assist the faculty with evacuating the other students.”

“Wh-What?! But... What of you, Lilia-sama?!”

Lilia chuckled bitterly. “I did say that this may very well be my final order, did I not?”

“Father—you can’t mean...”

Lilia held up his hand, silencing Silver. “I’ve dealt with my fair share of tantruming children and waging war before. Leave this to me.”

And he beamed, like the sunshine peeking out after a storm.

“I love you both dearly. And...” Lilia’s scarlet eyes crinkled. “Farewell.”

He raced off into the raging tempest, tailing the threat looming above. Each pace he took seemed to pound against the pavement as loud as claps of thunder.

He did not look back, not even once.

“Wait... Lilia-sama! LILIA-SAMAAA!”

“Sebek...!! Calm down--get a hold of yourself!” Silver latched onto the first year’s arm, roughly tugging him back. “You shouldn’t just--”

“Unhand me, Silver...!” Sebek thrashed wildly, tearing away from Silver’s grip, and threw him a harsh glare. “How could you just stand idly by while Lilia-sama is risking life and limb to save the Young Master?!”

“... It is what father would have wanted,” Silver responded, his tone flat. “I am only honoring his final wish.”

Sebek’s anger surged. “FINAL WISH?! Don’t act as though the ending has already been decided!!”

“That’s not what I...”

“We are the Young Master’s swords and shields--his retainers, his _knights_! Should the Young Master ever stray, it is OUR duty to set him on a righteous path once more!” Sebek bellowed, shouting over the howling wind. “You may think differently--but I will NOT compromise with you on this!!”

Silver fell silent, his lips pursed.

Sebek turned away from his companion and gazed deep into the storm. Another round of lightning came down--and for the briefest of moments, he caught a clear glimpse of Malleus’s monstrous silhouette. Newfound rage poured into his veins, blood roaring in his ears, joining the drumming rain.

“I am willing to shed my blood, sweat, and tears--whatever it will take to return the Young Master to us! To tuck our tails between our legs and flee--that is a COWARD’S way out!!”

“Sebek...”

“... I am going,” he declared solemnly. “Do not try to stop me, Silver.”

“Sebek, wait--” He put hand on his friend’s shoulder.

Something inside of Sebek snapped. He veered, bringing his arm back, and socked Silver right across his face. Pain blossomed from the point of contact, and he staggered back.

“Ah--I...” Sebek gaped at his fist as though it were alien. He snapped into a deep bow. “I didn’t mean to... I-I APOLOGIZE!!” 

Silver blinked several times, grasping at his new injury. Then annoyance flashed across his features. He charged forward--and smacked both of his hands on Sebek’s cheeks.

“GAH!” The first year winced at the stinging sensation that crawled over his skin. “Wh-What was that for?!”

“... I wanted to say ‘I’m coming with you’.” Silver clarified. “Malleus-sama is endangering not only all of Night Raven College and Twisted Wonderland, but also himself. We cannot let that come to pass.”

“Silver...!!”

“Let’s hurry. We don’t have a moment to waste.”

“Yes, let us away!”

They nodded to one another--then they were off, tromping as fast as their legs could take them through the campus. Through the wind and the water pelting their skin. Past the Great Seven, into the courtyard, down the winding path. To the center of it all.

Every step they took was one pace closer to him. His blood curdling howls rang in their ears, louder and louder as they closed in. The ground shook violently, the trees and buildings set ablaze, from his rampage.

Sebek jerked away from it all, completely undeterred. His eyes were trained on one thing, and one thing only--the dragon which loomed above, tail coiling around a tower, talons clawing toward the turret. A grim smile crept across its maw.

“You two...! I told you to not come,” Lilia choked out. He lay sprawled on the ground, clutching desperately at a gaping wound in his abdomen. His other arm appeared to be lame, twitching slightly in a pool of blood.

“Don’t move. You’ll only lose more fluids like that.” Silver warily advised. He sank to his knees beside his guardian and produced his magical pen. “I will help.”

“You must run,” Lilia insisted, grasping onto his sleeve. He quivered, his gasping heavy. “You _must_.”

“... Hold still and make this easier for the both of us.” Silver began muttering an incantation under his breath. “ _Heal what has been hurt. Change the Fates’ design. Save what has been lost, bring back what once was mine..._ ”

“Hngh!” Lilia cried as his bones slowly realigned, snapping back into place. Flesh knitted over his abdominal wound, sealing off leakage. The recovery was shallow at best--but it was enough to allow him to sit up with support from Silver.

Sebek swept by them and approached the slithering beast, much to Lilia’s horror.

“N-No-- _Grk_!” The ancient fae collapsed against Silver’s chest as a fresh torrent of pain ripped through him.

“Don’t push yourself.”

Sebek ignored them and raised his voice, addressing what was once his Young Master. "Malleus-sama!! MALLEUS-SAMA...!!”

The dragon continued to advance, climbing higher and higher. Reaching for something out of Sebek’s reach. Leaving _him_ behind.

His heart twinged.

_Can you hear me now? Can my voice even reach you? Or are you so far gone that not even the light can touch you anymore?_

He sucked in a breath--as much as his body would allow--and shouted at the top of his lungs. His soul burned brighter than ever.

“IT IS SEBEK!!”

His bellow rang out, clear as a bell’s toll, fanning across the entirety of campus.

Malleus froze in his ascension, eyes snapping to Sebek--the single staunch knight that opposed him.

With the beast’s attention now safely on him, Sebek puffed up and smirked. “... I am coming to retrieve you now, Young Master--to pull you out from the darkness that has entrenched your heart, and to return you to your rightful throne!! I shall declare my conviction until my throat is sore and raw and gives out--UNTIL I GET THROUGH TO YOU!!”

The dragon’s eyes widened.

In vague recognition.

“You have not been forgotten. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!” Sebek brandished his magical pen in a quivering hand. “COME! I... I SHALL RESCUE YOU, YOUNG MASTER!!”

From within the dragon’s core, Malleus stirred. His eyes fluttered open--eyes of a brilliant emerald hue. A single tear of ink raced down his face, but his lips were not turned down, nor up.

The expression he wore was not happy, nor sad. No, it was a look on the cusp of both, teetering on the fine line between fact and fantasy--the look of one that had just woken from a long, nasty nightmare.

_He was no longer dreaming._

“... Is that you, Sebek?”

Malleus’s words were mouthed, but the knight could so very clearly understand them.

Another flash tore through the sky—this one, a sign of hope.

Light within the darkness.

Lightning in a bottle.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed reading this piece, please check out my Twisted Wonderland writing blog and consider sending in a request of your own (though currently I am not accepting new requests)! I usually only post my longer pieces to AO3 (1000+ words), but you can find a lot of my shorter one shots on the blog.
> 
> Link is: https://raven-at-the-writing-desk.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thank you for your time~


End file.
